Sexy Ladies from the 80s
It was the first time I was invited to join my female co-workers for a drink after a long day of teaching. This was significant to me because as the only female 'native English speaker' at my school, I'd been seriously lacking in female social contact. We hit a soju bar, ate some cham-chi jjigae (tuna stew, which is far tastier than it sounds), and gossiped about work. It was divine - felt just like what I missed so much from home.
As with any good night out, we decided to move the party to a norae bang. The vibe is the kind where no one would be angry if there was a microphone hog (not that there was one). They introduced me to Korean pop tunes, I chose some English numbers they hadn't heard of. My ears perked up at one K-pop song, "Opa", which used the same melody, arrangement, and lyrical intonation as Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop". So I sang "She Bop" as a response.
My friends: Wow, I've never heard that song before! I can't believe it's almost totally the same as "Opa"!
Me: Yeah, I was wondering if you knew that one. It's a great tune, eh?
My friends: Yeah, so are they about the same thing?
Me: Uh, I dunno. What is "Opa" about?
My friends: It's about a cute boy. "Opa" means "older brother", which also means "boyfriend" for a lot of young couples, too. Is that what "She Bop" is about?
Me: Um, no. Not really.
My friends: Oh really? What's it about?
Me: It's about a young girl who was raised Catholic, and she wants to masturbate all the time.
My friends: Oh.
..............................................................................
In a spontaneous fit of whatever, I bought a $1 plastic hairband. It perfectly matches my new green-and-brown argyle cardigan. I wore these items into my adult conversation class a few days ago. One of my students said, "oh! Like a virgin!"
"Excuse me?"
"You have a very young style today. Like a virgin... you know the song?"
"Yeah... uh, do you know what that phrase means?"
"I think so... what is the song about?"
"It's about a woman whose had a lot of sex with many different lovers, and is singing to a new lover who treats her so well that she feels like a virgin."
"So it's not about her style?"
"As in her looks? Um, not like that, no."
"Oh."
As with any good night out, we decided to move the party to a norae bang. The vibe is the kind where no one would be angry if there was a microphone hog (not that there was one). They introduced me to Korean pop tunes, I chose some English numbers they hadn't heard of. My ears perked up at one K-pop song, "Opa", which used the same melody, arrangement, and lyrical intonation as Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop". So I sang "She Bop" as a response.
My friends: Wow, I've never heard that song before! I can't believe it's almost totally the same as "Opa"!
Me: Yeah, I was wondering if you knew that one. It's a great tune, eh?
My friends: Yeah, so are they about the same thing?
Me: Uh, I dunno. What is "Opa" about?
My friends: It's about a cute boy. "Opa" means "older brother", which also means "boyfriend" for a lot of young couples, too. Is that what "She Bop" is about?
Me: Um, no. Not really.
My friends: Oh really? What's it about?
Me: It's about a young girl who was raised Catholic, and she wants to masturbate all the time.
My friends: Oh.
..............................................................................
In a spontaneous fit of whatever, I bought a $1 plastic hairband. It perfectly matches my new green-and-brown argyle cardigan. I wore these items into my adult conversation class a few days ago. One of my students said, "oh! Like a virgin!"
"Excuse me?"
"You have a very young style today. Like a virgin... you know the song?"
"Yeah... uh, do you know what that phrase means?"
"I think so... what is the song about?"
"It's about a woman whose had a lot of sex with many different lovers, and is singing to a new lover who treats her so well that she feels like a virgin."
"So it's not about her style?"
"As in her looks? Um, not like that, no."
"Oh."